Railway-crossing signal.



J. F. HAWLEYGL F.-L. Moss.

RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.'

APPLICATION man APR.6. 191s.

Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

JF'f/aatdiey 120M066 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

some r. nawnnrsam rann L. iuossior cmnmcornn, inssounr. nunwnr-cnossmosrdnnn.

Specification of Lettcfifatent.

Patented Oct. 23, 191?.

Application filed April 6, 1916. Serial No. 89,414.

I '0 all whom it may concern Be itknbwn that we, JOHN F. Hawnnr and Fnnn L. Moss, citizens of the United States, residing at Chillicothe, in the county of Livingston and State of Missouri, have invented cert-ain new and useful Im rovements in Railway-Crossing Signs s, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto railway crossing signalsand has as its object to provide a signal which will constitute an efiective warning both during the day and at night and in which the day and night signals may be selectively rendered active' at will of the person whose duty itjis to attend to the said signals.

' whether or not the visible or the audible post illustratin signal, or both, was given at the time of passage of a train past the crossing so that in the event of an accident or wreck the responsibility may be determined.

In the accompanyingdrawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crossing signal embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the signal the arrangement of the visible and audi le signals thereon. i

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view through the circuit closing device which is disposed beneath the track rails.

In the drawings the track rails are indicated by the numeral 1. and Fig. 1 illustrates in a general way a crossing at one side of which is mounted a post or other suitable support indicated by the numeral 2. Asclcarly shown in Fig. 2 of the draw: ings, the post'is provided at its upper end with an arm 3 carrying oneor more elec' tric lights. 4- constituting a visible s gnal designed to be employed-chiefly at night, these lights being supplied with electricity through conductor wires 5, which are led upwardly through insulators 6 secured upbn one side of the post}. The numeral 7 1ndicates an electric bell and the numeral 8 indicates wireswhich are led upwardly through insulators.9 upon the opposite side 01f the post and to the said bell which constltutes the audible signal designed to be chiefly employed during the day, although it may be employed also at night in conjunction with the visible signal. At a suitable point a switch 10, as for example, an ordinary snap switch, is interposed in the wires- 5 which lead to the electric light bulbs and this switch may be manipulated so as to cut the-visible signal into and out of service. In a like manner a snap switch 11 is' interposed in the wires 8 and may be manipulated to cut the audible signal. into and out of service, and these switches 10 and 11 are preferably secured upon the post 2 and are. of course, adapted to be independently operated. The preferred arrangement of wiring is illustrated in Fig. 3. of the drawings, although it will be un derstood that this may be varied as found desirable. In this figure that one of.jthe

wires 5 in which the snap switch 10 is interposed leads to one terminal of a battery 12 which may be arranged at any convenient point and from the other pole'of this battery leads a wire 13 which is connected electrically to one contact of the circuit closing device which is arranged beneath the rail at one side of the crossing. This device will presently be specifically de-.

A wire 14 is connected electricallyscribed. to the other contact of the circuit closin device which in the said figure is indicate generally by the numerallli. This wire 14 is connected to the other one of the wires 5 and also to one of the wires 8 and is further connected electrically to one contact of the other circuit closing device which is arrangedat the other side of the crossing.

wire 16 leads from the other contact of the last mentioned circuit closing device to one terminal of a battery 17, the other terminal of which battery is connected by the other one of the wires '8 to the electric hell 7, the switch 11 being interposed in this last mentioned wire 8. A wire 18bridges the wires 5 and 8 between the batteries-and the nnnunciators. It will'now be apparent by reference to the diagrammatic view that when either of the circuit closers 15 has its contacts brought into engagement by deprcssion of the rail beneath which the oilcuit closing device is disposed and, of course, through the weight of the train (l the visible or audible signal or both was device comprises a lower casing section 1.)

having an attaching flange whereby it may be secured upon one of the ties supporting, the rails 1 and this easing section is open atits upper end and has telescopically titted thereto an upper easing section indicated by the numeral '21, the upper.

closed end of which latter section bears against. the under side of the rail, the sections being held in a direction toward separation by means of a spring 2' housed with in the sections and hearing at its lower end against: the bottom of the section 19 and at its upper end against the under side of the top of thescction 21. Arranged within the sections and surrounded by the spring is a sleeve 23 .which ma either be loosely disposed in place or integral with the bottom of the section 19, as shown in Fig. 4. Within the lower end of. the sleeve 23is arranged a block 24 of insulation supporting a spring contact finger 25 which has electrically connected to it"the wire 14. A block 26 of insaluting material is mounted updn the under side of the top of the casing section 21 and supports a contact) finger 27,.the free ends of the fingers 25 and 27 being normally spaecdhut being adapted to be brought into mutual contact upon downward movement of the casing section 2-1 against. the tension of the sprin 22 upon depression of the rail 1 due to passage of a train over the said raill As before stated, it is one aim of the invent-ion. to provide in connection with the visible and audible signals, an annnnciator deride which will automatically indicate whether or not the visible or audible signal. or both, was given at. the 'tiine (if-passage of a train past. the crossing so that-in the event of an accident: or wreck the. responsibility may be determined, andin the drawings the aunuiu'iatorjfor the audible signal is indieated by the numeral 30 and tho annunciatoa or the visible signal by the numeral 31 tlui anunneiator devices beingarranged within it ensing 32 which is pr ferahly"mounted upon the lost 2; although, if desired, it, may be-loeatet at some other eonvt'auent. point.

It will la' t iliservedby reference to Fig.

that the auuu neiators tltland 31 are iilfilp'tleflivel inter msed in the. wires h and I).

As stated above the annuneiat'ora 30 and 31 are. designed to indicate. whether or npt:

perated at the time of passage of a't-rain and therefore it will be tnnicrstood that-each of' these aluuuu-iator ll('\|l'.C.'- is soconstructed as to register the closing of the respective circuit: in which it lrlocated and that; any deviro ('npnble of wrtorining this function will. serve the purpose.

it will lu: Ill'ulvrslmul. oi" course, that. the ronlnrt derives su h as shown in Fl", of the drawings may he lat-ed beneath file rail as shown in this lignre or so arrangcditluit the uppr-zset-t ion '31 of the casing will he prose-nod at Hi1 trend of the rail so as to be directly engaged by the wheels of the train l'w they pass the said device.

lla in; thus described the invention, what is clainu-d as new is:

I. In a railway cro sing siyual system, apnir of train operaled circuit 1 losers adapted .to be disposed one at either side of a crossing. a pair of distincti bet isposcd near thecrossing,elcctriea means for selectively actuating either or both of r the signals upon the closing of either circuiteloser. manually controlled menus governin the Selection of the electrical means, anil means for indicating; the actuation of either or both of the signals even after the circuit closer causing such actuation has been opened.

2. in a railway crossing signal system; a multiple cirruitha ring parallel portiensand a connnou portion, a Pearce of electrical energy and a normally open train operated -eireiul: closer in the common portion, distinctire signals one in each of the parallel portions, means for selectively rendering either or both of the parallel portions active with the common portion, and menus for indicating actuation of either or both of the signals even after the energizing circuithas I been opened by the circuit. closer.

dering either or both of the parallel nor tions artivc with both ronnuon portions,and

! signals ada itcd to means for iiulieatinp which of either. or

b th of the signals has been actuated even after the. arluatiug (-Il'ttllll closer has-been opened. 4

't-ures.

JOHN it. n. uvnnY.. [he] FRED boss, [11.8.]

in testimolrv whereof we allir: our signa- 

